Tonga earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 94 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 94 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga on Wed, Dec 5, 2018, 11:54 PM GMT+13 (10:54 UTC), 230 km (143 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 113 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.9 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
2018-12-05 10:54:27 UTC
Depth
229.6 km (142.7 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
18.168° S, 174.717° W
Region
Tonga
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 10.2 km horizontally, 9.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
75°
Stations used
56

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.3125 km W of Neiafu, Tonga · 2844 days ago · 250 km deep · 81 km away
  2. 4.766 km NNE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2842 days ago · 36 km deep · 96 km away · felt by 1
  3. 4.3143 km WNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2832 days ago · 221 km deep · 59 km away
  4. 5.0161 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2827 days ago · 219 km deep · 81 km away
  5. 4.6148 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2819 days ago · 10 km deep · 70 km away
  6. 5.2113 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2819 days ago · 10 km deep · 71 km away
  7. 4.990 km NW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2819 days ago · 10 km deep · 15 km away
  8. 4.6129 km NNW of Neiafu, Tonga · 2818 days ago · 10 km deep · 87 km away
  9. 4.666 km W of Neiafu, Tonga · 2806 days ago · 127 km deep · 56 km away
  10. 4.6160 km W of Neiafu, Tonga · 2798 days ago · 251 km deep · 93 km away

Before

  1. 5.218 km NNE of Neiafu, Tonga · 2858 days ago · 10 km deep · 90 km away
  2. 5.0149 km W of Neiafu, Tonga · 2876 days ago · 199 km deep · 90 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us1000i2pu. Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 4:34 PM UTC.